Letter to the editor: Charles County school system needs better bus policy

Parent
Maryland Independent
December 31, 2010

...I bring this entire situation to the public's attention because I am appalled at what the school informed me about the Charles County bus policy.

I was told that only children in prekindergarten or kindergarten are not to be dropped off without someone there to get them off the bus.

Since my son is in second grade they didn't see anything wrong with him getting dropped off at the edge of our driveway, on the highway, with no one there to retrieve him and make sure he made it to the house safely.

Maryland law states: "A person who is charged with the care of a child under the age of 8 years may not allow the child to be locked or confined in a dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle while the person charged is absent and the dwelling, building, enclosure, or motor vehicle is out of the sight of the person charged unless the person charged provides a reliable person at least 13 years old to remain with the child to protect the child. … A person who violates this section is guilty of a misdemeanor and on conviction is subject to a fine not exceeding $500 or imprisonment not exceeding 30 days, or both."

So if the law states a child younger than 8 cannot be left alone, then why would a policy state that a child can be dropped off alone from the school bus? I don't understand this with so many children abducted each year or injured from pedestrian-related accidents.

The school system needs to revise its policy to make sure our children remain safe and not a statistic.

Kathy Almassy, Bryantown

Read the full letter HERE.

Board Swearing-In

The swearing-in ceremony for the new Board of Education is set for 4 p.m., Dec. 20, at North Point High School. Two new Board of Education members, Patricia Bowie and Michael Lukas, were elected into office. They join incumbents Roberta S. Wise, Donald Wade, Jennifer Abell, Maura Cook and Pamela Pedersen, who were re-elected to their positions. The Board begins a four-year term and elects officers at the January meeting.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,858 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

Notes from the Board of Education Meeting, 12/14/10

The Board Meeting on Tuesday, December 14th will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Executive session - 11:30 a.m.

Call to order - 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance, Maurice J. McDonough High School's JROTC unit

Maurice J. McDonough High School Football Team - Class 2A State Champions

Superintendent's update to the Board - Read report

Correspondence/board member updates -

• Wise - Senior Portfolios; Military Ball
• Pedersen - All County Band & Strings, Senior Portfolios; It's Academic
• Abell - Rachel's Challenge at Somers...would like to see implemented at all schools

Education Association of Charles County update - Read Update

Student board member update - Read Update

New student advisor update - Mr. Gary Winsett, Social Studies, Thomas Stone High School

CIP update - Read update

• Appeal to IAC on Dec 3; Will be appealing before the Governor on certain issues
• 265 Total Portable Classrooms in the system

St. Charles High School redistricting timeline - See report for timeline

Navy housing

• Land on Radio Station Road where Matula, LaPata, Annex, etc....135 acres has been deeded to us by the Navy since it has been used for educational purposes for over 30 years.  Need to go after the broken down houses on the sharp turn on Radio Station Road.  Advised Dept of Education we are interested.  Must show educational use within 12 months

Solar energy concepts - hopefully move to whole system in the near future

Student exchange process, English Language Learners (ELL) intake process/handbook - See update

Budget update - See update

Board policy 4610 amendment - See update

Legislative update - See update

Board farewell reception - Oasis Café, 3 - 4:30 p.m.

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Employees

Unfinished business - None

New business and future agenda items - None

Public Forum - 6 p.m. - None

Action Items

• Minutes
Motion by Pedersen; Second by Cook
Unanimous
• Personnel
Motion by Pedersen; Second by Cook
Unanimous
• 2011 Legislative issues packet
Motion by Bailey; Second by Pedersen
Unanimous

Adjournment

Autism Breakthrough? D-Cycloserine Treatment For Impaired Sociability

Scientific Blogging Science 2.0
News Staff
December 8, 2010
2:20 a.m.

The social impairment of people with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) can have a profound impact on quality of life.

As part of their research, Eastern Virginia Medical School scientists say they have verified that a specific mouse strain, known as the BALB/c mouse, is a valid animal model of the limited sociability seen in persons with Autism. In the presence of another mouse, BALB/c mice move as far away as possible and do not interact as normal mice do, they say in much the same way people with autism often avoid making social contact with other people.

This finding gave them a way to test whether an existing medication can alter the function of certain receptors in the brain known to affect sociability and help the animals be more at ease around others. The medication used was D-Cycloserine, originally developed to treat tuberculosis, but previous studies showed that it also might change social behavior. In preliminary studies at Eastern Virginia Medical School, the medication appeared to resolve the Balb/c mouse's deficits of sociability - BALB/c mice treated with the medication behaved as a normal mouse would when placed near another.

Read more HERE.

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 12/14/10

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Dec. 14, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m., and recognition begins at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and is rebroadcast throughout the week. Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at www.ccboe.com. If there is anything listed on the agenda that you would like to ask questions about or want more information, please let me know.

Executive session - 11:30 a.m.

Call to order - 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance, Maurice J. McDonough High School's JROTC unit

Maurice J. McDonough High School Football Team - Class 2A State Champions

Superintendent's update to the Board

Reports of officers/boards/committees

• Correspondence/board member updates
• Education Association of Charles County update
• Student board member update
• New student advisor update
• CIP update
• St. Charles High School redistricting timeline
• Navy housing
• Solar energy concepts
• Student exchange process, English Language Learners (ELL) intake process/handbook
• Budget update
• Board policy 4610 amendment
• Legislative update

Board farewell reception - Oasis Café, 3 - 4:30 p.m.

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Employees

Unfinished business

New business and future agenda items

• New business
• Future agenda items

Public Forum - 6 p.m.

Action Items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• 2011 Legislative issues packet

Adjournment

Foundation: Growth in test scores is sign of good teacher

By Nick Anderson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Friday, December 10, 2010; 2:58 PM

While debate rages in the education world about how to measure effective teaching - or whether it is even possible to do so - research funded by a prominent advocate of data-driven analysis has found that growth in annual student test scores is a reliable sign of a good teacher.

The Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation reported that and other preliminary findings Friday from a $45 million study of teacher effectiveness in several cities.

Read more HERE.

As Bullies Go Digital, Parents Play Catch-Up

By JAN HOFFMAN
The New York Times
Published: December 4, 2010

Ninth grade was supposed to be a fresh start for Marie’s son: new school, new children. Yet by last October, he had become withdrawn. Marie prodded. And prodded again. Finally, he told her.

“The kids say I’m saying all these nasty things about them on Facebook,” he said. “They don’t believe me when I tell them I’m not on Facebook.”

But apparently, he was.

Marie, a medical technologist and single mother who lives in Newburyport, Mass., searched Facebook. There she found what seemed to be her son’s page: his name, a photo of him grinning while running — and, on his public wall, sneering comments about teenagers he scarcely knew.

Someone had forged his identity online and was bullying others in his name.

Read more HERE.

Hold the brownies! Bill could limit bake sales

By MARY CLARE JALONICK
The Associated Press
Friday, December 3, 2010; 8:15 PM

WASHINGTON -- Don't touch my brownies! A child nutrition bill on its way to President Barack Obama - and championed by the first lady - gives the government power to limit school bake sales and other fundraisers that health advocates say sometimes replace wholesome meals in the lunchroom.

Read more HERE.

EPA Releases New Draft Voluntary Guidelines for Selecting Safe Locations for New Schools

Smart Growth News
Smart Growth Online
11/30/2010

EPA has released new draft guidelines to help communities protect the health of students and staff from environmental threats when selecting new locations for schools. The new draft voluntary guidelines will help local communities consider environmental health issues in establishing school site selection criteria and in conducting effective environmental reviews of prospective school sites. The draft guidelines recommend involving the public in the site selection process from the beginning to help ensure community support for these decisions.

Read more HERE.

Comcast and MSDE announce fourth annual parent award

Comcast and the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) are sponsoring the fourth annual Comcast Parent Involvement Matters Award (PIMA) program. The annual award recognizes parents and guardians whose contributions have led to improvements in Maryland public schools.

The program was created to highlight the positive impact parents have on public schools and to encourage parent involvement. Parents and guardians can be nominated for demonstrating significant, positive impact on public education in their communities.

Nominees must be a parent/legal guardian of a child in a Maryland public school, and a consistent advocate of public education. Nominees must have also demonstrated involvement in one of the five following areas within the last 24 months: communications; volunteering; learning; decision marking; and/or community collaboration.

Nominations must include three letters of recommendation, a two-page narrative essay describing the nominee's contribution to public education and completed nomination forms.

Nomination forms are available on MSDE's Web site at www.marylandpublicschools.org/MSDE/programs/pima/. Nomination packets must be postmarked by Wednesday, Jan. 19, and should be sent to: Maryland State Department of Education, Office of Academic Policy, 7th Floor, Attention: PIMA, 200 West Baltimore Street, Baltimore, MD, 21201. Incomplete applications will not be considered and submissions will not be accepted online or by e-mail.

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,858 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

Hiding exams from students

Class Struggle
by Jay Mathews
The Washington Post
November 18, 2010

The parent at McLean High School was frustrated. Two years ago he had to go to the principal to force a teacher to let his daughter keep a copy of a graded test so she could get a better sense of her errors. Last month, it happened again with his son.

“My son no longer gets any exams returned, and in some cases, classes aren’t allowed to even view their exams,” he said in an Oct. 8 e-mail to the same principal, Deborah Jackson. “Using exams to learn where you erred and to prepare for future exams is a time-honored part of the learning process. My son’s math tutor (a teacher in another school) asked for a copy of a recent exam he had taken and when told that exams were no longer being returned, said, ‘You’ve got to be kidding. How do they defend doing that?’ ”

As Jackson said in an interview, rules don’t require that exams go home, but that is her policy and she is enforcing it. She has gone to each teacher involved in the complaint (most of whom said they did not withhold any tests) and has notified the entire faculty.

Yet, that is not the end of it. Jackson said she doesn’t have final say on the handling of all exams. There are signs that keeping exams from students might become more prevalent, not less, in Fairfax County and other districts.

Read more HERE.

Fairfax school experiments with letting cheaters retake tests

By Donna St. George

Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, November 17, 2010; 10:34 PM

The Fairfax County high school that asked teachers to all but banish F's from its recent report cards has been experimenting with an approach that would allow students caught cheating to retake tests instead of receiving zeros.

West Potomac High School Principal Cliff Hardison last month instructed teachers to allow cheaters to retake tests. The idea was that cheating should "result in a disciplinary consequence separate from an academic consequence," Hardison said in a Nov. 5 e-mail to teachers.

Later, after complaints from parents and teachers, he reverted to the old policy of using zeros but also gave teachers the option of offering retakes, according to the Nov. 5 e-mail. It said that individual departments would be discussing the issue as the school makes broader changes this year to its grading system.

Read more HERE.

At West Potomac High School, taking F off the grade books

By Donna St. George

Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, November 14, 2010; 12:04 AM

Depending on whom you ask, West Potomac High School's latest change to student grading is either another sign of a coddled generation or a necessary step to help struggling kids.

The dreaded F has been all but banished from the grade books.

The report cards that arrived home late last week showed few failing grades but instead marks of "I" for incomplete, indicating that students still owe their teachers essential work. They will get Fs only if they fail to complete assignments and learn the content in the months to come.

Read more HERE.

Proficiency of Black Students Is Found to Be Far Lower Than Expected

The New York Times
By TRIP GABRIEL
Published: November 9, 2010

An achievement gap separating black from white students has long been documented — a social divide extremely vexing to policy makers and the target of one blast of school reform after another.

But a new report focusing on black males suggests that the picture is even bleaker than generally known.

Only 12 percent of black fourth-grade boys are proficient in reading, compared with 38 percent of white boys, and only 12 percent of black eighth-grade boys are proficient in math, compared with 44 percent of white boys.

Poverty alone does not seem to explain the differences: poor white boys do just as well as African-American boys who do not live in poverty, measured by whether they qualify for subsidized school lunches.

The data was distilled from highly respected national math and reading tests, known as the National Assessment for Educational Progress, which are given to students in fourth and eighth grades, most recently in 2009. The report, “A Call for Change,” is to be released Tuesday by the Council of the Great City Schools, an advocacy group for urban public schools.

Read more HERE

In Efforts to End Bullying, Some See Agenda

The New York Times
By ERIK ECKHOLM
Published: November 6, 2010

HELENA, Mont. — Alarmed by evidence that gay and lesbian students are common victims of schoolyard bullies, many school districts are bolstering their antiharassment rules with early lessons in tolerance, explaining that some children have “two moms” or will grow up to love members of the same sex.

But such efforts to teach acceptance of homosexuality, which have gained urgency after several well-publicized suicides by gay teenagers, are provoking new culture wars in some communities.

Many educators and rights advocates say that official prohibitions of slurs and taunts are most effective when combined with frank discussions, from kindergarten on, about diverse families and sexuality.

Angry parents and religious critics, while agreeing that schoolyard harassment should be stopped, charge that liberals and gay rights groups are using the antibullying banner to pursue a hidden “homosexual agenda,” implicitly endorsing, for example, same-sex marriage.

Read more HERE.

Notes from Board of Education Meeting, 11/9/10

The Board Meeting on Tuesday, November 9th will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Executive session 12 p.m.


Call to order 1 p.m.


Pledge of Allegiance, Henry E. Lackey High School's JROTC unit


Correspondence/board member updates

• Wise - Adult Graduation; FEA Induction; Emannuel Bakare appointed to the Student Youth Advisory Council

Education Association of Charles County update - See Report


Student board member update - See Report


Enrollment update -

• Cunningham - 26,852 slightly up from last year; 55.2% African American, 36.3% White, 3.8% Hispanic, 3.7% Asian, 1% American Indian; 3,017 first time enrolled in CCPS. Additional statistics can be found in the report
• Abell - how many are seniors? 1st time enrolled? HSA's? 47
• Wise - Graduation rate process

CIP update - See Report

Race to the Top Grant - See Report

Autism Education Update - Charles County autism program at Matula Elementary for Pre-K and K; MIT = Multiple Intensity Teaching. 6 children currently enrolled; Later integrated into inclusion program; Hope to expand program to middle and high school in the future.

CCPS Environmental Education program - See Report

Board policy 4610 - See Report

Budget update - See Report

2011 Legislative issues packet - See Report

Unfinished business - None


New business - Noe


Future agenda items - None


Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Employees
• Maryland Association of Secondary Principals Award: Rick Conley, vice principal, Henry E. Lackey High School
• American Cancer Society Awards: 100 percent school participation award for 2009-10; 2009-10 Superintendent of the Year award: James E. Richmond

Public Forum - 6 p.m.

• Alan Jackson - American Freedom Week curriculum; against tasers & firearms in the school but if they are accepted, what is the educational content.

Action Items

• Minutes

Motion by Cook; Second by Pedersen

Unanimous

• Personnel

Motion by Pedersen; Second by Cook

Unanimous

Superintendent's update to the Board - See Report

Adjournment

Fighting Bullying with Babies

The New York Times
November 8, 2010, 8:10 pm
By DAVID BORNSTEIN

Imagine there was a cure for meanness. Well, maybe there is.

Lately, the issue of bullying has been in the news, sparked by the suicide of Tyler Clementi, a gay college student who was a victim of cyber-bullying, and by a widely circulated New York Times article that focused on “mean girl” bullying in kindergarten. The federal government has identified bullying as a national problem. In August, it organized the first-ever “Bullying Prevention Summit,” and it is now rolling out an anti-bullying campaign aimed at 5- to 8-year old children. This past month the Department of Education released a guidance letter to schools, colleges and universities to take bullying seriously, or face potential legal consequences.

The typical institutional response to bullying is to get tough. In the Tyler Clementi case, prosecutors are considering bringing hate-crime charges. But programs like the one I want to discuss today show the potential of augmenting our innate impulses to care for one another instead of just falling back on punishment as a deterrent. And what’s the secret formula? A baby.

Read more HERE.

(Frederick County) School system enacts rules against 'sexting'

Gazette.Net
Thursday, November 4, 2010
Margarita Raycheva | Staff Writer

Growing trend of sending racy messages leads educators to include the term ‘sexting' in disciplinary guidelines for students, alongside gang activity and physical assault

Ask a parent about sexting and you may get a blank stare. But most Frederick County teens will know exactly what you are talking about.

Sexting, which is the act of sending nude or partially nude photos by cell phone, is becoming a popular habit of camera-phone equipped teens nationwide and Frederick County is not an exception.

"I noticed it in middle school when kids started getting cell phones," said Sarah Hauver, 17.

The Walkersville High School senior, who recently gave up Facebook for more face time with her friends, says she has never sent out such a message, but she is familiar with the trend and knows at least one person who has sent one.

When she was in ninth grade, two girls at her school got in trouble for sending out provocative videos and images of themselves via phone message, she said. The images were only meant for specific boys, but ended up getting leaked to dozens of other students, causing a major embarrassment, Sarah said.

"It got around really fast," she said.

The trend is a growing concern for educators in Frederick County, leading them for the first time this year to include the term "sexting" in disciplinary guidelines for students, alongside gang activity and physical assault.

Sexting now is a separate violation within Frederick County Public Schools' bullying regulations and, depending on the scale of the offense, the punishment for students who send these messages ranges from suspension and a parent conference to expulsion. Schools can also report offenders to law enforcement if they suspect a violation of criminal law, according to Ann Bonitatibus, the school system's associate superintendent for secondary schools.

"As the technology evolves, we have to keep up with it," she said. "And (sexting) impacts school environment."

Read more HERE.

How to evaluate students...look at their work

Washington Post
By Monty Neill


In June, I outlined a school evaluation system to replace No Child Left Behind’s test-only accountability structure. I then described in more detail how each component would work: first school quality reviews, then annual state tests in a few grades, and now local assessments. Together, these interrelated elements provide comprehensive evidence of school progress, as well as richer information for teaching and school improvement efforts.
The best way to find out what students know and can do is to look at their actual work. In a local assessment system, teachers document student products and processes. Research projects, oral presentations, essays, problem solving using computers, and science experiments allow evaluation of higher order thinking skills and deep content knowledge that standardized tests cannot measure.
What is standardized in this system is not individual student work but the criteria for gathering and evaluating work products. With a clear structure, the work assessed can vary: what books students read, the specific choices of what to emphasize in history or biology or math, the extended projects students undertake, etc. Strong structures already exist, including the Learning Record and the Work Sampling System. Other countries have developed various approaches to this issue.

Read more HERE

Teens are still reading for fun, say media specialists

By Donna St. George
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 31, 2010; 10:44 PM

Teens read for pleasure, even in the digital age.

That's how it looks here in a Rockville library, where 14-year-old Olivia Smith is propped in a comfy chair, deep into a Japanese novel genre called manga. She has already been reading on the computer for an hour, and later, when she texts her friends, she will still be turning pages between messages. "I'm sort of a bookworm," she says.

Recreational reading has changed for teens in an era of ebooks and laptops and hours spent online, but experts and media specialists say there are signs of promise in spite of busy lives and research findings that show traditional book reading is down.

"It's not that they're reading less; they're reading in a different way," says Kim Patton, president of the Young Adult Library Services Association.

Read more HERE

President Obama: It Gets Better

Ed.gov blog
U.S. Department of Education
October 25,2010

THIS LINK is President Obama's video message, "It Gets Better." There is a link to a transcript of the President's video at the bottom of the page, and links to information on anti-bullying organizations.

Will New Ed Policy Affect All Districts Equally?

Washington Post
From Anne Geiger on the fallout from the midterm elections and the Republican takeover of the House of Representatives:

The good news and the bad news.

First, some important data...

As this table and this table show, there are 47.7 million students enrolled in public schools and 14,229 school districts in the U.S. Just over 13% (1,883) enroll 67% of all students (32 million students).

Among this 13% are the school districts of our major cities, such as Washington D.C, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia and Houston. Member districts of the Council of the Great City Schools (I served on the council’s board while on the Orange County (FL) School Board), a member organization of the 65 largest, serve over 7 million students.

Their students are 75% non-white, 60% low-income, 15% English language learners, and 12% special-needs. (Twenty-five of these districts serve over 100,000 students each. Their enrollments total 12% of students overall).

The remaining 12,346 school districts serving the remaining 33% of students (15.7 million students) have enrollments under 5,000. Over 6,000 (about half) of these have enrollments under 800.

Read more HERE

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 11/9/10

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Nov. 9, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the meeting begins at 1 p.m., and recognition begins at 4:30 p.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and is rebroadcast throughout the week. Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www.ccboe.com/.

Executive session 12 p.m.

Call to order 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance, Henry E. Lackey High School's JROTC unit

Superintendent's update to the Board

Reports of officers/boards/committees

Correspondence/board member updates

Education Association of Charles County update

Student board member update

Enrollment update

CIP update

Race to the Top grant

CCPS Environmental Education program

Board policy 4610

Budget update

2011 Legislative issues packet

Unfinished business

New business

Future agenda items

Recognition - 4:30 p.m.

• Students
• Employees
• Maryland Association of Secondary Principals Award: Rick Conley, vice principal, Henry E. Lackey High School
• American Cancer Society Awards: 100 percent school participation award for 2009-10; 2009-10 Superintendent of the Year award: James E. Richmond

Public Forum - 6 p.m.

Action Items

• Minutes
• Personnel

Adjournment

Dear Colleague Letter from Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights Russlynn Ali

Dear Colleague Letter
OFFICE OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY


Page 1

October 26, 2010

Dear Colleague:

In recent years, many state departments of education and local school districts have taken steps to reduce bullying in schools. The U.S. Department of Education (Department) fully supports these efforts. Bullying fosters a climate of fear and disrespect that can seriously impair the physical and psychological health of its victims and create conditions that negatively affect learning, thereby undermining the ability of students to achieve their full potential. The movement to adopt anti-bullying policies reflects schools’ appreciation of their important responsibility to maintain a safe learning environment for all students. I am writing to remind you, however, that some student misconduct that falls under a school’s anti-bullying policy also may trigger responsibilities under one or more of the federal antidiscrimination laws enforced by the Department’s Office for Civil Rights (OCR). As discussed in more detail below, by limiting its response to a specific application of its anti-bullying disciplinary policy, a school may fail to properly consider whether the student misconduct also results in discriminatory harassment.

Link to full letter HERE.

Help Stop Bullying, U.S. Tells Educators

The New York Times
By SAM DILLON
Published: October 25, 2010

In a 10-page letter to be sent on Tuesday to thousands of school districts and colleges, the Department of Education urges the nation’s educators to ensure that they are complying with their responsibilities to prevent harassment, as laid out in federal laws.

The letter is the product of a yearlong review of the federal statutes and case law covering sexual, racial and other forms of harassment, officials said. Issuing the letter took on new urgency in recent weeks because of a string of high-profile cases in which students have committed suicide after enduring bullying by classmates, the officials said.

In one case, Tyler Clementi, an 18-year-old Rutgers University freshman, jumped from the George Washington Bridge in an apparent suicide last month, days after his roommate, according to prosecutors, streamed over the Internet his intimate encounter with another man.

The department issued the letter to clarify the legal responsibilities of the authorities in public schools and in colleges and universities under federal laws, the officials said. Certain forms of student bullying might violate federal anti-discrimination law.

Read more HERE.

Study: School buses safe enough without seat belts

By BOB JOHNSON
The Associated Press
Monday, October 25, 2010; 8:06 PM

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -- School buses are safe enough without seat belts and students in many cases ignore a requirement to wear them, according to a study in Alabama released Monday that found the straps would save the life of about one child every eight years.

The study was ordered by Alabama Gov. Bob Riley after four students were killed in 2006 when a school bus without seat belts nose-dived from an overpass in Huntsville.

Following that accident, federal transportation officials required new, smaller school buses to be equipped with lap-and-shoulder belts by 2011. Larger buses are to have higher seat backs.

Read more HERE.

Study: Half of teens admit bullying in last year

October 27, 2010 - 5:34am
By ANDREW DALTON
Associated Press

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Half of high school students say they've bullied someone in the past year, and nearly half say they've been the victim of bullying, according to a national study released Tuesday.

The survey by the Los Angeles-based Josephson Institute of Ethics asked more than 43,000 high school students whether they'd been physically abused, teased or taunted in a way that seriously upset them. Forty-three percent said yes, and 50 percent admitted to being the bully.

The institute's president, Michael Josephson, said the study shows more bullying goes on at later ages than previously thought, and remains extremely prevalent through high school.

"Previous to this, the evidence was bullying really peaks in middle school," Josephson told The Associated Press.

He said the Internet has intensified the effect of taunting and intimidation because of its reach and its permanence.

Read more HERE.

Notes from the Board of Education Meeting, 10/12/10

The Board Meeting on Tuesday, October 12th will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Call to order  10:30 a.m.

Presentation on Space Foundation partnership (I was unable to attend this portion)

Executive session  12 p.m.

Correspondence/board member updates

• Pedersen - spoke about MABE conference in Ocean City.  Would like to discuss policy on social media.
• Cook - would like to discuss Data 3.0 during a work session.
• Wade - discussed a seminar he attended regarding minorities and another one on African American Minority Achievement

Education Association of Charles County update  - Read report

Student board member update  - still awaiting for an advisor to be appointed

Use of tasers update by Sheriff Rex Coffey -safe to use; see video

Recruitment and retention update  - see report - lots of nice statistics

FY 2010 Independent financial audit  - see report.  no deficiencies reported

Legislative audit  - see report.  17 recommendations noted

Unfinished business - none

New business

Motion by Pedersen to award contract for Middleton renovation

Second by Cook

Vote Unanimous

Future agenda items - None

Recognition  4:30 p.m.  - See agenda

• Resolutions: American Education Week, American Freedom Week

Public Forum  6 p.m.

• Al Jackson - NAACP - MD Attorney General report on the use of electronic weapons.  Didn't realize tasers, guns, etc were already used in the schools.  Why do we have violent weapons in the school?  What is the educational value?  The demonstration was not the normal level of tasers.  Australia has banned for their officers.  Wants board to reconsider their use.
• Janice Wilson - NAACP - concerned about the use of electronic weapons in the schools.  Task force findings in the MD report.  Risk of serious injury or death.  Believes police trainings and guidelines severely underestimate the level of injury or death.  Believe tasers are used more on African American persons than on caucasians.

Action Items

• Minutes - Pedersen has one correction on item 16.

Motion by Cook; second by Carrington

Vote Unanimous

• Personnel

Motion by Carrington;  second by Wade

Vote Unanimous 

• FY2011 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

Motion by Cook; second by Carrington

Vote Unanimous

• Board chairman election bylaw

Motion by Carrington; second by Wade

Vote Unanimous

Adjournment

Taser Demonstration

Below is the YouTube video of a taser demonstration that I volunteered for in August. Sheriff Rex Coffey will be presenting safety in our schools at the October board meeting.

Concussions and Kids: Learning to Spot the Injury

Andrew Mollenbeck
wtop.com
October 7, 2010

WASHINGTON - As concern for understanding concussions has increased, youth leagues are participating in training seminars and using computer analysis programs to better diagnose the injury.

"The lack of awareness, the lack of knowledge, the lack of skill as to what to do when a youngster is injured is putting kids at risk, and we need to change that," says Gerard Gioia, director of the Safe Concussion Outcome, Recovery & Education (SCORE) program at Children's National Medical Center.

By Gioia's estimate, dozens of youth leagues in the Washington area have worked with SCORE. League officials, coaches and parents meet on nights or weekends to learn from video and ask questions.

"The whole idea here really is to specifically educate coaches and parents and kids about what is this injury, what are the signs and symptoms they need to understand," he says.

Programs with more limited resources can at minimum access tools made available by the Centers for Disease Control. Its initiative, "Heads Up: Concussion in Youth Sports" offers similar information for players and coaches.

Read more HERE.

School system sponsors scholarship workshop

Charles County Public Schools is sponsoring "The Scholarship Workshop," hosted by author Marianne Ragins, on Saturday, Oct. 16, from 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., at North Point High School.

 

The workshop is designed to help students successfully complete the college scholarship search and application process. Ragins is a one-time recipient of more than $400,000 in scholarship offers and author of "Winning Scholarships for College" and "College Survival & Success Skills 101." The workshop will cover the following:

• Resources to use to find scholarship opportunities;
• Easy guidelines for writing scholarship-winning essays with examples;
• Helpful tips on using the Internet to research scholarships;
• An inside look at obtaining positive recommendations;
• Helpful tips on how to stand out against other scholarship applicants;
• Ways to highlight your personality and achievements during interviews; and
• Last-minute strategies helpful in obtaining funds for college.

The seminar is free-of-charge and is open to county high school students, parents and guardians. Space is limited to the first 450 participants in attendance and reservations are required. Visit http://www2.ccboe.com/instruction/scholarshipworkshop.cfm. to register. Students who attend are eligible for the Ragins/Braswell National Scholarship. For more information on the scholarship and workshop, visit http://www.scholarshipworkshop.com/.

 

As a high school senior, Ragins applied for and received more than $400,000 in scholarship funds for college. She launched "The Scholarship Workshop" to present her experiences and help others in the college scholarship search process. Ragins has been featured in publications such as USA Today, People, Ebony and Newsweek and also made appearances on shows such as "Good Morning America" to speak about her experiences and the workshop.

 

Ragins received a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration from Florida A & M University and a master of business administration degree from George Washington University. Both of Ragins' degrees were obtained with scholarship funds. She is the founder and president of The Scholarship Workshop and sponsor of the Ragins/Braswell National Scholarship. For more information on registration, call 301-934-7309.

 

Charles County Public Schools provides 26,780 students in grades prekindergarten through 12 with an academically challenging education. Located in Southern Maryland, Charles County Public Schools has 35 caring community schools that offer a technologically advanced, progressive and high quality education that builds character, equips for leadership and prepares students for life, careers and higher education.

 

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 10/12/10

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, October 12, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the October meeting begins at 10:30 a.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and is rebroadcast throughout the week. Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at http://www.ccboe.com/.

Call to order  10:30 a.m.
Presentation on Space Foundation partnership
Executive session  12 p.m.
Resume open session  1 p.m.
Pledge of Allegiance, Westlake High School's JROTC unit
Superintendent's update to the Board 
Correspondence/board member updates
Education Association of Charles County update
Student board member update
Use of tasers update by Sheriff Rex Coffey
Recruitment and retention update
FY 2010 independent financial audit
Legislative audit
Unfinished business
New business
Future agenda items
Recognition  4:30 p.m.

• Resolutions: American Education Week, American Freedom Week

Public Forum  6 p.m.
Action Items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• FY2011 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan
• Board chairman election bylaw

Adjournment

Why grade-skipping should be back in fashion

CLASS STRUGGLE
by Jay Mathews
Washington Post

As the second month of school nears, some parents wonder if their children are getting all that they need. The lessons seem too simple. Their kids are bored. If they have been designated gifted, there may be occasional pull-out lessons to enrich what they are learning, but that may not be enough.

I have seen no data to confirm this, but it seems to me that schools rarely consider skipping those students ahead anymore. I have talked to Washington area administrators about this. They are uncomfortable with the approach. They think students who are above grade level learn better--with some extras thrown in--if they stick with kids their age.

A generation or two ago the attitude was different. I run into far more people my age who skipped a grade than I meet friends of my children who did the same thing. My wife skipped second grade in the early 1950s. Her parents had nothing to do with it. Six weeks into the school year in California, after attending a hard-charging school in Kansas, her teacher said, “You can already do this stuff. This is a waste.” She was suddenly a third grader.

Read more HERE

Schools' cell phone policy might relax

Group considering some constructive uses of devices

Friday, Sept. 24, 2010
By GRETCHEN PHILLIPS
Staff writer

Charles County Public Schools officials are looking at the positive side of having cell phones in schools before revisiting the system's cell phone policy.

Tuesday, during a regularly scheduled Charles County Board of Education meeting, Deputy Superintendent Ronald G. Cunningham told board members that a group of employees at the school system's central office has been asked to review the current cell phone and portable communications device policy, which was written in 2003 and revised in recent years.

Read more HERE

Teacher bonuses not linked to better student performance, study finds

By Nick Anderson
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, September 21, 2010; 9:46 PM

Offering teachers incentives of up to $15,000 to improve student test scores produced no discernible difference in academic performance, according to a study released Tuesday, a result likely to reshape the debate about merit pay programs sprouting in D.C. schools and many others nationwide.

The study, which the authors and other experts described as the first scientifically rigorous review of merit pay in the United States, measured the effect of financial incentives on teachers in Nashville public schools and found that better pay alone was not enough to inspire gains.

Read more HERE

Md. school board to vote on environmental ed

Posted: 5:53 pm Mon, September 20, 2010
By Associated Press

Environmental education would be required for Maryland high school students under a proposal before the state school board.

Assistant State Superintendent of Education Mary Gable says the proposal is scheduled to be voted upon by the school board Tuesday. Gable says school systems in each county would decide how to teach the material and students would not have to pass an additional test to graduate. If the proposal is approved, environmental education would begin for incoming ninth grade students next September.

Gable says the department received 187 comments during the public comment period with 180 supporting the proposal.

Notes from the Board of Education Meeting, 9/21/10

The Board Meeting on Tuesday, September 21st will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Executive session 12 p.m.

Call to order 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance North Point High School's JROTC unit

Superintendent's update to the board

• Read report
• Pedersen - date for students to use telepresence; Richmond - in progress

Correspondence/board member updates

• Pedersen - thank staff for all the back to school events
• Bailey - in communicating with the youth on school grounds, they were unfamiliar with the election process
• Wade - thank you to the board for your involvement with MABE

Education Association of Charles County update

• Read report

Student board member's update

• Read report

Update on fall sports

• See reports
• Still requiring nutrition and hydration emphasis
• CPR and sports injury certfication required
• J. Johnson is on a state committee regarding concussion awareness. She has also initiated a concussion awareness program and requires all coaches to be certified. Consulted with school nurses as well.
• Athletic trainers - OSPT did not renew their contract. Sent out in RFP and awarded to Rehabilitation Center of Southern Maryland at the same cost. 3-FT & 2-PT
• Wise - Concerned with inelgibility
• Pedersen - when does re-eligibility happen; Johnson - interim
• Pedersen - certification expenses paid for by CCBOE except for the basic coaching certification
• Cook - minorities are the greater athletic population; overall grade point averages of athlete is high
• Cook -concussion...26 for Charles County last year...how does that compare
• Abell - clarification on inelgibility for first quarter

Use of tasers Sheriff Rex Coffey

• Postponed until October Board meeting

Review of the cell phone policy

• Number of suspensions increasing - added another level of suspension at the school level; committee was convened last year to review policy and uses; review how it can possibly used as an educational teaching tool.
• Wade & Wise - move cautiously
• Abell - Thank you for embracing the technology and being pro-active in the positive uses; I look forward to hearing more from the committee

Capital Improvement Program (CIP) update

• See report

FY 2011 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

• See report

Bridge to Excellence update

• See report

Diversity training in the work place

• See report
• Wise - possibly a future in offering to the students

Food services report

• See report

Oral update on staffing

• 4,000 employees; largest employer in Charles County; currently hired 190 new certificated employees to this date, lower than previous years.
• Teacher evaluations will be changing this year; piloting in January; collaborative effort

Board chairman election bylaw

• See document; discussion and minor revisions.  Action item next meeting

Unfinished business

• None

New business

• Requested a student ran candidate forum
• Abell - violates our own policy.  further discussion curtails idea.

Future agenda items

• Wants to add an update on the Performance Audit Report in October

Public Forum 6 p.m. (please forgive name spelling)

• Martine Stevens - on 9/11 at Westlake she was denied entrance to the JV game.  Was stopped by an officer who said entry to the game was cut-off at the end of second quarter.  She felt like she was treated as a child.  Other parents tried and encountered the same response.
• Robert Harlan - had a wonderful time getting involved in the political fray.  Attended several forums.  Feels the school system major support comes from african american community and organizations. 

Action items

• Minutes

Cook - motion to accept the minutes

Wade - second

Vote - UNANIMOUS

• Personnel

Carrington - motion to accept personnel

Pedersen - second

Vote - UNANIMOUS

• State CIP 2012

Pedersen - motion to accept State CIP

Cook - second

Vote - UNANIMOUS

• Recurring resolutions - Health Careers Month; American Education Week; American Freedom Week; African American History Month; Career and Technical Education Month; National School Counseling Week; Read Across America; Women's History Month; Fine and Performing Arts Month; Month of the Young Child; National Student Leadership Week; Teacher Appreciation Week; Administrative Professionals' Week; Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week; National Physical Education and Sport Week; Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leader; Charles County Teacher of the Year; Employees' Retirement; Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award

Bailey motion to recognize individual days incorporated in American Freedom Week

Carrington - second

Bailey withdrew motion after discussion; Richmond stated it is already being done

Wade - motion to accept recurring resolutions to include Bailey corrections

Carrington- second

YES - Bailey, Carrington, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise
ABSTAIN - Abell

Adjournment

School system plans annual College Fair - TOMORROW

Charles County Public Schools will host more than 135 colleges at its 13th annual Charles County College Fair on Wednesday, Sept. 22, at North Point High School. Hours are 9 a.m.-1 p.m. and 6-8 p.m.

High school juniors and seniors attend the event during the school day as part of the system's career readiness goal in the five-year plan. Students are transported from school by bus and are able to speak with representatives and gather information from participating colleges. Students wishing to attend the fair during the school day must submit a signed permission slip to their school's college and career advisor.

The public is invited to attend the evening session of the fair and parents are encouraged to bring their children. Two financial aid workshops will be held, one at 6:15 p.m. and one at 7:15 p.m., for parents and students to learn about the financial aid application process.

The event is free and open to the public. For more information, call your child's school or 301-934-7314.

A list of local scholarships, as well as a link to Maryland colleges and universities is also available on the school system Web site at http://www2.ccboe.com/students/scholarships.cfm.

New parent communication Web sites launch Sept. 20

Charles County Public Schools is launching a new parent communication system on Monday, Sept. 20, along with new school Web sites. The system is a secure, Internet-based system parents and students can use to keep up-to-date with their child's records and classes. The school system's main Web site, www.ccboe.com, will not be moved to the new system.

To access the system, parents will need to obtain an account activation code from their child's school. If you have an activation code for Edline, you can begin signing on to your account on Monday, Sept. 20. Middle and high school parents will be able to check their child's most recent grades. Elementary grades will not be posted, but parents can access teacher pages and other important school information on the new site.

If you have not secured an activation code, call your child's school office and find out the best time to come in and obtain one. You must present photo identification and be the parent or legal guardian of a student to receive a code. Staff is available on Monday to answer questions and e-mails regarding this new service. If you have any questions, call 301-934-7488 or e-mail dataprocessing@ccboe.com.

The following is a list of new web addresses for all schools:

Elementary schools:

• C. Paul Barnhart Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/C__Paul_Barnhart_Elementary_Sc
• Berry Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/berry
• Dr. Gustavus Brown Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/brown
• Dr. James Craik Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/craik
• William A. Diggs Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/William_A__Diggs_Elementary_Sc
• Gale-Bailey Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Gale-Bailey_Elementary_School
• Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Dr__Thomas_L__Higdon_Elementar
• Indian Head Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Indian_Head_Elementary_School
• Daniel of St. Thomas Jenifer Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Daniel_of_St__Thomas_Jenifer_E
• Malcolm Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Malcolm_Elementary_School
• T.C. Martin Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/T__C__Martin_Elementary_School
• Mary H. Matula Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Mary_Matula_Elementary_School
• Arthur Middleton Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Arthur_Middleton_Elementary_Sc
• Walter J. Mitchell Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Walter_J_Mitchell_Elementary
• Mt. Hope/Nanjemoy Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Mt_Hope_Nanjemoy_Elementary_Sc
• Dr. Samuel A. Mudd Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Dr__Samuel_A__Mudd_Elementary_
• Mary B. Neal Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Mary_B_Neal_Elementary_School
• J.C. Parks Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/J__C__Parks_Elementary_School
• J. P. Ryon Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/J__P__Ryon_Elementary_School
• Eva Turner Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Eva_Turner_Elementary_School
• William B. Wade Elementary School: https://www.edline.net/pages/William_B__Wade_Elementary_Sch

Middle schools:

• Theodore G. Davis Middle School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Theodore_G_Davis_Middle_School
• John Hanson Middle School: https://www.edline.net/pages/John_Hanson_Middle_School
• Matthew Henson Middle School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Matthew_Henson_Middle_School
• Mattawoman Middle School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Mattawoman_Middle_School
• Piccowaxen Middle School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Piccowaxen_Middle_School
• General Smallwood Middle School: https://www.edline.net/pages/General_Smallwood_Middle_Schoo
• Milton M. Somers Middle School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Milton_M__Somers_Middle_School
• Benjamin Stoddert Middle School: https://www.edline.net/pages/benjamin_stoddert_middle_schoo

High schools:

• Henry E. Lackey High School: https://www.edline.net/pages/lackey
• La Plata High School: https://www.edline.net/pages/La_Plata_High_School
• Maurice J. McDonough High School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Maurice_J__McDonough_High_Scho
• North Point High School: https://www.edline.net/pages/North_Point_High_School
• Thomas Stone High School: https://www.edline.net/pages/Thomas_Stone_High_School
• Westlake High School: https://www.edline.net/pages/WestLake_HS

Centers:

• Robert D. Stethem Educational Center: https://www.edline.net/pages/Robert_D__Stethem_Educational_

All new school sites are also accessible from the Charles County Public Schools Web site, www.ccboe.com. To access the sites from the school system Web site, select the schools and centers tab located on the left-side navigation bar on the home page.

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 9/21/10

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, Sept. 21, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the August meeting begins at 11 a.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and is rebroadcast throughout the week. Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at www.ccboe.com.

Executive session 12 p.m.

Call to order 1 p.m.

Pledge of Allegiance North Point High School's JROTC unit

Superintendent's update to the board

Reports of officers/boards/committees

Correspondence/board member updates

Education Association of Charles County update

Student board member's update

Update on fall sports

Use of tasers Sheriff Rex Coffey

Review of the cell phone policy

Capital Improvement Program (CIP) update

FY 2011 Comprehensive Maintenance Plan

Bridge to Excellence update

Diversity training in the work place

Food services report

Oral update on staffing

Board chairman election bylaw

Unfinished business

New business

Future agenda items

Public Forum 6 p.m.

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• State CIP 2012
• Recurring resolutions:Health Careers Month; American Education Week; American Freedom Week; African American History Month; Career and Technical Education Month; National School Counseling Week; Read Across America; Women's History Month; Fine and Performing Arts Month; Month of the Young Child; National Student Leadership Week; Teacher Appreciation Week; Administrative Professionals' Week; Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week; National Physical Education and Sport Week; Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leader; Charles County Teacher of the Year; Employees' Retirement; Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award

Adjournment

Maryland Students Boost SAT Scores

Graduating seniors post gains in both reading and math, according to results released Monday

By Childs Walker, The Baltimore Sun
5:52 p.m. EDT, September 13, 2010

Maryland seniors performed slightly better on both the math and critical reading sections of the SAT in 2010, according to results released Monday by the College Board.

Graduating seniors increased their average math scores over last year from 502 to 506 and their average reading scores from 500 to 501. Average writing scores remained the same at 495. The highest possible score on each section is 800.

"Our state's students continue to improve across the board, with some of the biggest gains coming from minority students often underrepresented on national tests," said state schools Superintendent Nancy S. Grasmick. "Maryland's students, teachers, administrators and parents deserve another round of applause for this remarkable achievement. Big improvement can be found in schools throughout our state."

Maryland students matched the national average in reading and bettered it by 3 points in writing but fell 10 points below the national average in math.

Read more HERE

School's race rule prompts mom to pull kids out

August 27, 2010
By HOLBROOK MOHR
Associated Press Writer

JACKSON, Miss. (AP) - A policy intended to achieve racial equality at a north Mississippi school has long meant that only white kids can run for some class offices one year, black kids the next. But Brandy Springer, a mother of four mixed race children, was stunned when she moved to the area from Florida and learned her 12-year-old daughter couldn't run for class reporter because she wasn't the right race.

The rules sparked an outcry on blogs and other websites after Springer contacted an advocacy group for mixed-race families. The NAACP called for a Justice Department investigation _ not surprising in a state with a history of racial tension dating to the Jim Crow era.

By Friday afternoon, the Nettleton School District announced on its website that it would no longer use race in school elections.

Superintendent Russell Taylor posted a statement saying the practice had been in place for 30 years, dating back to a time when school districts across Mississippi came under close scrutiny from the U.S. Justice Department over desegregation.

"It is the belief of the current administration that these procedures were implemented to help ensure minority representation and involvement in the student body," the statement said. "It is our hope and desire that these practices and procedures are no longer needed."

Springer, who moved to Lee County from Florida in April, said her daughter was told the office of sixth-grade class reporter at Nettleton Middle School was available only to black students this year.

Her anger grew when she saw school election guidelines that allowed only whites to run for class president this year. In alternating years, the positions would be reversed so blacks could run for president and whites could hold other positions, district officials said.

Even if the rule is an attempt to ensure black and white participation, Springer said diversity is no longer a black and white issue, with a growing number of mixed-race children, Hispanics and other ethnicities attending school together.

Read more HERE

Formula to Grade Teachers’ Skill Gains Acceptance, and Critics

By SAM DILLON
Published: August 31, 2010

How good is one teacher compared with another?

A growing number of school districts have adopted a system called value-added modeling to answer that question, provoking battles from Washington to Los Angeles — with some saying it is an effective method for increasing teacher accountability, and others arguing that it can give an inaccurate picture of teachers’ work.

The system calculates the value teachers add to their students’ achievement, based on changes in test scores from year to year and how the students perform compared with others in their grade.

People who analyze the data, making a few statistical assumptions, can produce a list ranking teachers from best to worst.

Read more HERE

Suggested Reading

Below is a list of some books that have been brought to my attention for suggested reading. If you have read any and want to discuss them, here is your thread.

Please Mr. President, don't speak on school time

Class Struggle
Jay Mathews
August 26, 2010

Here we go again. I dodged a lot of electronic tomatoes last year for suggesting that President Obama NOT give his back-to-school speech during class time. Many readers thought that was a stupid suggestion. The president and his staff apparently agree with them, because the White House has announced he is going to do it again on Sept. 14. The White House is again encouraging schools to interrupt class so students can listen.

I am going to stay away from the political issues. I know this is an election year. Here in the Washington area, including D.C. and the Maryland suburbs where I live, Sept. 14 will be primary election day, with a D.C. mayoral race important to the future of D.C. schools. But I don't think the president's speech will affect that much. That is not why it bothers me.

Last year, at least, the speech occurred on or near the first day of school for many students. That day is often a waste anyway, just finding your classrooms, greeting your friends and sizing up your teachers. This year he will be speaking on what is the second week for some students, and for many the third or fourth week, when serious learning should be underway. Why does the White House think this is a good idea?

Read more HERE.

More Md., Va. students taking ACT for college entrance, data show

By Michael Birnbaum
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, August 19, 2010

An increasing number of Maryland and Virginia high school students are taking the ACT college entrance test in a region where the SAT has long been dominant, according to data released Wednesday.

In Virginia this year, 22 percent of high school seniors who graduated took the ACT at some point in school, up from 19 percent in 2009, according to the state Department of Education.

This year's SAT data have not yet been released. But the percentage of graduating Virginia high school seniors who took the SAT dropped from 73 percent in 2007 to 58 percent in 2009.

In Maryland, the number of graduating seniors who took the ACT grew this year, too, to 11,924 from 11,317 in 2009, the Iowa-based ACT organization reported. The number of seniors taking the SAT dropped slightly from 2008 to 2009, but it remains the state's most widely used test. The number of D.C. students taking the ACT has been flat since 2008.

Read more HERE.

Tasing Demonstration

View Video Here

As a member of the Charles County Board of Education I recently, volunteered for a tasing to demonstrate the safety associated with the deployment of a Taser by a police officer assigned to our county schools.

This demonstration took place on August 13, 2010 at the Charles County Sheriff’s Office Headquarters in La Plata, Maryland.

Notes from the Board of Education Meeting 8/10/10

The Board Meeting on Tuesday, August 10th will be re-broadcast on Comcast Channel 96, Verizon FIOS Channel 12 and is available via webstream at http://www.ccboe.com/ . To view the full agenda and the various reports, please visit BoardDocs.

The below notes are my personal notes and are not intended to be all-inclusive or official minutes for the Board of Education meetings and are provided as a request from my supporters and the general public in a personal effort to be more transparent. Although I have diligently tried to make these notes as unbiased and accurate as possible, I am only human and do make mistakes.

Executive session 10 a.m.

Call to order 11 a.m.

Pledge of Allegiance

Recognition

• Sacred Heart Ladies' Auxiliary #301, Knights of St. John International
• Book donation to school libraries from the Maryland Retired School Personnel Association

Motion by Pedersen; Second by Carrington

(yes) Abell, Bailey, Carrington, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Reports of officers/boards/committees

Superintendent's update - read report

Correspondence/Board member updates

• Wise - Pedersen appointment to O'Malleys committee, Maryland Council for Educator Effectiveness
• Abell - Asked for tasing in the schools to be added to the agenda for September as a discussion item and invited board members to attend tasing on Friday, August 13 at noon.
• Richmond - Elliot Cohen to attend in October from the Space Foundation and invited board for 10:30 on October 12.

Education Association of Charles County update - Read report

Student Board Member update - Read Report.

Deputy Superintendent Update - Opening of Schools; evaluations; MSA scores

CIP update - See report; renovations to stay current in the technology fields

Instruction Update - Summer Programs, See report. 5,407 students participated

Human Resources Update - Staffing

• 4 English, 1 Math and 1 of various other openings still need to be filled
• Pedersen - number hired this year to previous years? Remains steady per Hettel

Legal Update - Board Chairman Election Bylaw

• Staff recommendations to make the process more transparent rather than by hidden anonymous ballots

Recurring Resolutions

• Bailey - Questioned what the school system does on 9/17, Constitution Day. Estep will provide update.

Unfinished business

• Pedersen - Blue Ribbon Commission for Diversity...public is invited to attend and share about experiences of diveristy in the workplace.

New business - None

Future agenda items

• Wade - Update on athletic preparations
• Pedersen - Update on overnight field trips
• Wade - Review of cell phone policy; one modification has been made due to the number of suspensions

Public Forum 3:30 p.m.

• Paddy Mudd - wants school named Piney Forest High School, gave history
• Craig Renner - VP Public Relations ACPT - wants school named St. Charles High School gave history

Action items

• Minutes

Motion by Carrington; Second by Wade
(yes) unanimous

• Personnel

Motion by Carrington; Second by Pedersen
(yes) unanimous

• School Naming

Motion by Bailey; Second by Cook to delay vote until next month
(yes) Bailey; (no) Abell, Carrington, Cook, Pedersen, Wade, Wise

Motion by Pedersen; Second by Carrington to name St. Charles HS

(yes) Bailey, Carrington, Pedersen, Wade, Wise ;(no) Cook; (Abstain) Abell

Adjournment

REMINDER: Board of Education Meeting, 8/10/10

The Board of Education's next monthly meeting is Tuesday, August 10, at the Jesse L. Starkey Administration Building on Radio Station Road in La Plata. The public portion of the August meeting begins at 11 a.m. The meeting is televised live on Comcast Channel 96 and Verizon FiOS Channel 12, and is rebroadcast throughout the week. Board meetings are also streamed live on the school system Web site at www.ccboe.com/live.

Executive session - 10 a.m.

Call to order - 11 a.m.

Pledge of Allegiance

Recognition

• Book donation to school libraries from the Maryland
• Retired School Personnel Association Sacred Heart Ladies' Auxiliary #301, Knights of St. John International

Superintendent's Update to the Board

Reports of officers/boards/committees

Correspondence/Board member updates

Education Association of Charles County update

Student Board Member update

Information Item:

• Preparations for opening of schools
• State CIP 2012
• Summer programs
• Staffing update
• Board Chairman Election Bylaw
• Recurring Resolutions: Health Careers Month; American Education Week; American Freedom Week; African American History Month; Career and Technical Education Month; National School Counseling Week; Read Across America; Women's History Month; Fine and Performing Arts Month; Month of the Young Child; National Student Leadership Week; Teacher Appreciation Week; Administrative Professionals' Week; Child Nutrition Employee Appreciation Week; National Physical Education and Sports Week; Washington Post Distinguished Educational Leader; Charles County Teacher of the Year; Employees' Retirement; and Washington Post Agnes Meyer Outstanding Teacher Award.

Unfinished Business

New business

Future agenda items

Public Forum

Action items

• Minutes
• Personnel
• School naming

Adjournment

St. Charles Community (SCC) Confirms New High School Fee to School System

The school system and SCC negotiated an agreement last year for SCC to pay $1,000,000 as a fee in-lieu of providing a graded high school site per early county government Adequate Public Facilities requirements (Docket 90). The fee will be paid to county government in three installments and placed in the new high school construction project line item as follows: $250,000 on or before June 30, 2010; $250,000 on or before September 30, 2010; and $500,000 on or before December 31, 2010.

Schools absorb good, bad news

Some can crow about MSA, others must buckle down

Tuesday, July 27, 2010
By GRETCHEN PHILLIPS
Staff writer
Maryland Independent

While six of 29 elementary and middle schools missed state progress goals, school officials remain confident that students are making improvements.

Tuesday, the Maryland State Department of Education released results for the Maryland School Assessment, a test given to students in grades three through eight in math and reading to satisfy requirements of the federal No Child Left Behind Act.

Students and school systems strive to achieve set standards on the state tests in order to test proficient or better; the percentages of students in each grade who must test at the proficient level to meet the standards for each school rise each year.

Read more HERE

Children's Health in the National Spotlight

American School Board Journal
By Naomi Dillon

The much-publicized planting of the White House vegetable garden in spring 2009 was the first sign of something big to come.

Not since World War II and Eleanor Roosevelt had crops of produce appeared on the presidential lawn. Besides First Lady Michelle Obama, the groundbreaking ceremony featured recently appointed Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack, a proponent of sustainable living, and two dozen fifth-graders from a nearby elementary school who would tend and harvest the 1,100-square foot plot sprinkled with 55 varieties of vegetables, herbs, berries, honeycombs, and bees.

By February, Obama had turned her passion into a Cabinet-level cause, unveiling Let’s Move!, a White House initiative that calls on everyone, from parents to policymakers, to make the health of future generations a priority.

Every week since then, it seems like a new group, program, or campaign is being waged in the fight against childhood obesity. PepsiCo recently announced it would stop selling sugar-laden drinks in primary and secondary schools worldwide by 2012. And the new Healthy Weight Commitment Foundation -- a consortium of nearly 80 U.S. retailers, food manufacturers, and nonprofits pledging to reduce 1.5 trillion calories from Americans’ annual food consumption by 2015 -- was set to release a nutrition and exercise curriculum for elementary schools at press time.

Read more HERE

Report: Head Lice Is No Reason to Keep Kids Out of School

By Alice Park
Monday, July 26, 2010
Time.com

They are miniscule, measuring at most 2 mm to 3 mm long, yet few things induce more panic or fear among parents than head lice. But while an infestation of head lice on a child can be uncomfortable, the critters do not pose enough of a contagious hazard to justify the strict policies that many schools use to keep infected children out of class, according to a new report from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

In the clinical report, released by the journal Pediatrics on Monday, the AAP updates its 2002 guidelines for the treatment of lice infestation. The pediatricians group once again urges schools to abandon their strict no-nits policies, which require children to be free of nits, the empty casings left behind by lice once they hatch from their eggs, before they may return to school. Both the AAP and the National Association of School Nurses have long discouraged this policy because it is not proven to lower overall infestation rates and puts children who miss class at a disadvantage...

Read more HERE.

Tasers in School

This serves as follow-up to a previous post. There is a list of article links below involving tasers and their use in schools. Please review them and give me your thoughts. Officers, including the Juvenile Resource Officers in the schools, currently are armed with tasers. There is NOT a policy in place either with the Charles County Sheriff's Office or the Charles County Board of Education regarding the use of tasers on school grounds.

My opinion....if a juvenile warrants being tased and they aren't on school grounds, they will be tased. Are officers supposed to stop them and ask their age before tasing them? Some of these "juveniles" are bigger than I am.

• November 18, 2004 - http://www.prisonplanet.com/articles/november2004/081104tasersinschools.htm
• January 13, 2006 - http://abclocal.go.com/wtvd/story?section=news/local&id=3806891
• January 14, 2010 - www.chicagonow.com/.../should-cops-taser-kids-in-school.html
• February 7, 2007 - http://pierretristam.com/Bobst/07/cn020707.htm
• March 13, 2010 - www.timesnews.net/article.php?id=9021323
• March 23, 2010 - http://jacksonville.com/news/georgia/2010-03-23/story/glynn-county-school-board-rejects-taser-proposal
• April 29, 2010 - www.charlotteobserver.com/.../deputy-uses-taser-on-teen-at-school.html
• June 11, 2010 - http://www.myfoxorlando.com/dpp/news/orange_news/061110girl-shot-with-taser-during-school-fight
• OVERALL - http://www.schoolsecurity.org/trends/tasers.html

19 File to run for Board of Education

Let me know if you have ever heard of any of these people before. Some are complete strangers. Quite a few have come before the board for one thing or another and haven't gotten their way and are now running. Others are just...you've go to be kidding me :)

Jennifer Abell (incumbent)
Douglas Bonaro (anyone know this guy; Never heard of him before)
Patricia Bowie
Maura Cook (incumbent)
Barbara Cooksey-Feeney (Anyone know her; never heard of her before)
Paul Donato
Michael Green
Robert Harlan
Jason Henry Sr. (anyone know this guy; Never heard of him before)
Blaine Lessard (sounds familiar but can't place him)
Mike Lukas
Narain Mathur
Monifa Tarjamo
Shanetta Oliver (Anyone know her; never heard of her before)
Pamela Pederson (incumbent)
Sue Richards (Anyone know her; never heard of her before)
Donald Wade (incumbent) (I can't believe he is doing this)
Michael Wilson (anyone know this guy; Never heard of him before)
Roberta Wise (incumbent)

What to name the new high school? Weigh in before August.

A committee was comprised of county residents, staff, and students to review the submitted suggestions. The committee came before the board on June 28, 2010 and presented their unanimous top three suggestions in no particular order.

• Zekiah
• St. Charles
• Lagrange Point

Other suggestions submitted to the committee are listed below...

• Awossi
• Free State
• Freedom
• Greenway
• High Tech
• Orion
• Perihelion
• Piney Branch
• Piney Forest
• Piney
• Piney Tech
• The Stem

The Board unanimously decided that the new high school should be named after a location not a person and therefore the following submissions would be mute.

• Kris Romeo Bishundat
• Jane Bowie
• Cox/Williams
• Dr. John H. Cox
• Vicki A. Daniels
• George Calvert
• Robert A Heier
• Roy S. Johnson
• Walter Melvin "Johnny" Johnson
• Peter Welford Kendrick
• Lord Calvert
• Willie McCool
• Eleanor G. Robey
• Clarence T. Rodgers
• Robert D. Stetham
• Vietnam Veterans Suggestions (8 names submitted)

Two suggestions were submitted to the committee but were disqualified because they did not follow board policy stating that if a school is to be named after a person, the person must be deceased for five or more years.

• James E. Richmond
• Cecil Marshall

The Board will be voting on the name at the August Board Meeting. Please respond with your vote.